


Daughters of Bhaal

by Jewel2065



Category: Baldur's Gate, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:21:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23237629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jewel2065/pseuds/Jewel2065
Summary: Crossover Baldur's Gate/BtVS.Faith and her Watcher find themselves in Athkatla.
Kudos: 2





	Daughters of Bhaal

Daughters of Bhaal  
Author: Jewel  
Created: 15.05.17  
Posted to AO3: 20.03.20  
Word count: 6,950  
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Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction intended for entertainment only. No money is being made and the author makes no claim to copyrighted material. BtVS and Angel are owned by Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Black Isle Studios created the Baldur's Gate series of games.  
________________________________________________________

They had known that Kakistos was after them. The ancient, hideous vampire had been taunting them for weeks, drawing out the twisted pleasure he took in their fear and desperation. So, by the time Kakistos got bored, they had had plenty of warning in which to make their own preparations.

She might not be powerful in the way that Ripper and Ethan had been in their hell-raising youth, but she was methodical and gifted in certain types of magic. And Diana Pryce would do anything to protect her young Slayer. 

When the attack came, Diana was in the very centre of their sanctuary, uttering the last few words of a spell that would transport herself and her charge far beyond the reach of the ancient demon. As the silvery-blue portal burst into life, Diana grabbed her backpack and waited for Faith.

The fourteen year old Slayer battled Kakistos’ minions, drawing them ever deeper into the building. Strolling along behind the minions was the demon himself and his lieutenant, Trick. These two were chatting loudly, a running commentary on the Slayer’s style and ability and the incompetence of the minions. Though Faith could hear them, she had been warned by Diana to ignore non-threatening peripherals. She concentrated on turning vampires into dust clouds, until at last she reached Diana’s sanctuary. 

As Kakistos and Trick sauntered after the slayer, they realised too late that they had been had. The door behind them slammed shut, and they began to scream as holy water sprayed from the sprinkler system. Faith grabbed her pack and dived into the portal. Diana shouted the triggering Word of Power and jumped after her.

Both women fancied they heard Kakistos’ scream of fury as the carefully placed magical ‘bombs’ erupted around him, turning the building and the surviving vampires into ash. Kakistos’ reign of terror was over.

~ DB ~

They emerged into a small room. The exit portal was blue, looking rather like a large free-standing oval mirror. Certainly, it was a permanent fixture. Diana stared at it for a long moment. Wherever they were, it certainly was not her home in the picturesque village of Ambleside as she had intended. She frowned, puzzling over the mystery and then realised – the magical bombs must have affected the portal, sending them off course. And with no way of knowing where in the multiverse they had emerged, there was no certain way to get back.

Faith didn’t care where they were. She had Diana and she had weapons. That pretty much ended her interest. She opened the door cautiously, peered out into a large room. Her eyes widened in shock. There were several large cages, three of them containing people. Scattered about, bodies lay where they'd fallen, and the air was thick with the stench of death and burned flesh. Quietly, she moved forward, Diana following. 

At the nearest cage, Faith stopped. The woman seemed to be in a state of despair, blonde hair lank, face lined with worry. "Hey, lady," she whispered, "You know how I can get you outta there?" 

The woman in the cage started and her head snapped round to face the young girl. "Where did you come from?" she asked, her speech holding an accent that sounded Eastern European. "No matter. I believe the key is in the room over there. I would be most grateful if you would help us." 

Faith nodded, told Diana to wait here, and slipped away towards the indicated room. She soon returned. "Di, there’s boxes of armour and weapons in there, and a big… thing… made of clay.” As she spoke, she handed a golden key to Diana and settled her pair of axes into the loops on her belt. Diana swiftly unlocked the cage then moved over to try the key on the next one. 

Unfortunately it did not work. The huge, tattooed man in the cage frowned. "Jaheira, you will not leave me here!"

The freed woman shook her head. "Of course not, Minsc, but we must first find the key."

Faith shrugged. "Wasn’t any other key. Yo, Big Guy! Step back a bit." She launched a spinning kick at the hinge, which snapped under the force of the blow. 

"Yes!" Minsc shouted happily, "Soon we will be free, eh Boo?" In moments, the door was hanging loose and the man shoved it aside as he climbed out. "Thank you, little girl, for your help. Boo was getting squirrely in there."

Faith frowned at the ‘little girl’ riff but held her tongue. "Who in hell's Boo?" A loud squeaking answered the question, and she spotted a large rodent scurrying about Minsc's shoulders. "OK, I guess that's Boo. What're you all doing caged up anyway?"

Jaheira started – she'd been watching with amazement the strength displayed by what looked like a human child barely into puberty – then shrugged. "I do not know why we were brought here. We were sleeping in Baldur's Gate and then we woke up in these cages. We must try to free Keisha Khan before the wizard returns."

Faith shrugged: "If she's the Mulatto chica in the cage over there –" a wave towards the far side of the room "– then she looks pretty much dead."

A gasp of horror from Jaheira and she and Minsc ran towards the indicated cage. "Keisha cannot be dead!" Minsc exclaimed, obviously upset at the idea. 

The body was lying close enough to the bars that Jaheira was able to use her medical skills to establish that their friend was not dead, just unconscious. As Faith kicked the door apart, Jaheira told Diana that the wizard who had captured them had been torturing her for hours, apparently trying to make something happen. 

Minsc carried the unconscious woman into the room where Faith had found the key. There, he seated himself on the floor, the woman held child-like in his arms. Jaheira raised her hands as though beseeching the intervention of a deity then uttered a series of words that neither Slayer nor Watcher understood, but both felt the prickling energy of the spell hum across their skin.

Once the woman was on her feet, wobbling but more or less aware of her surroundings, her friends brought her up to speed on the 'how we got here and how we got rescued' situation. Despite her tired face, stained with blood, tears and dirt, the brown-skinned woman smiled at her rescuers. "Thank you for your help. I do not wish to consider what might have happened had you not come along."

Faith smiled back. “No problem lady. Not over-keen on the torture thing myself.”

Now that Keisha was up and about, the group turned their attention to the equipment that surrounded them. Faith watched appreciatively as Keisha demonstrated skill with traps and locks, locating a concealed safe behind a picture which contained what she said were a magical dagger and a few potions of healing. 

Minsc put on the biggest piece of armour in the chest, banging a huge fist against it appreciatively, and selected a heavy-looking hammer. He seemed immensely pleased with himself, and his 'miniature giant space hamster' squeaked approvingly. Jaheira clad herself in chainmail and selected a staff, while Keisha picked through some bits of leather and selected a boiled leather jerkin, an axe and a shield. 

Diana declined the offer of armour but happily accepted the offer of the magical dagger. Faith was already clad in leather trousers and jacket and decided that these would be sufficient protection. And she wasn’t about to exchange her matching axes for any reason: Diana had had them made for her birthday – the only gifts she could remember ever receiving – and had woven enchantments into them as the smith worked the metal. Powered by Slayer-strength, they were tried and true against the evil that the girl fought each night.

The group was about to head out in search of a way to escape when the previously locked door on the other side of the room opened. A girl with pinkish hair cut into a ragged bob hurried in and the door slammed shut behind her. Startled she turned to stare at it, before registering the armed and armoured group arrayed about the room. 

"Keisha!" the girl ran to the older woman, hugging her with enthusiasm. Keisha suppressed a sigh that was seen by all in the room except the newcomer, and patted the girl’s back. "Quick, we need to get out of here before he comes back."

Keisha leaned back from the girl. "Imoen, who captured us? Do you know? Are you alright?"

"Irenicus… his name's Irenicus. He's being doing horrible things to me. My head hurts."

Keisha sighed again and hugged the girl properly. "Grab yourself some stuff," she said, waving at the equipment scattered about, "And we'll head off."

Keisha took the lead, Minsc by her side. Faith watched the slender woman, frowning. She was obviously the leader of the group, and she looked human, but something about her was causing her Slayer senses to go wild to a degree that even Kakistos had not managed. The other girl, Imoen, felt similar but the effect was a lot weaker, like the difference between a master and a fledgling vampire. It was not until Jaheira pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes that Faith saw the pointed ears and realised that things were not as simple as they were used to.

The usual approach of 'not human – slay' was obviously going to need some revision in this place.

The group made their way along a stretch of corridor that was scattered with corpses and came to a chamber that contained two large pieces of machinery. As they watched, the machine in the middle of the room chugged and a bolt of lightning shot out. As it dispersed, a small imp-like creature appeared in the corner of the room. 

Keisha and Minsc backed up hurriedly, urging the group back to the turn in the corridor. "Mephits," Keisha said, then at Faith and Diana's blank looks, "Small imps. They come in lots of different varieties, and each type does a different sort of magical attack. These ones are lightning mephitis which makes them particularly dangerous."

Keisha decided that she and Minsc would charge the mephit while Imoen would examine the machinery in the hope of finding a way to turn it off. Diana offered to help Imoen. Faith drew her axes. "I'm with you two," she said.

Keisha looked at the girl's young face. She looked barely out of childhood, yet there was something about the look in her eyes and the way she moved that already spoke of a predator – and a child so young should not have that look in her eyes. The thief had seen that look before, but rarely in one so young. "You can use those axes?" she asked. At Faith's nod, she smiled. "Right then; let's go kill us some mephitis. And look out for the lightning bolts!"

The three fighters ran into the room. As expected, the mephit spat lightning at its attackers, which allowed them the opportunity to corner it. Since they had been expecting the bolt, they simply jumped aside and let it past without breaking pace. A powerful blow from Minsc's hammer broke a wing, and the sharp blades of the axes soon ended the creature's existence. 

Across the room, the other two women were examining the machine. Diana spotted a dial which did indeed stop the machinery. How the device worked was beyond her – a Jules Verne-style device of steam and levers and dials which created or summoned magical creatures. It was both fascinating and disturbing, a combination that she really hoped never became possible back home. The last thing Earth needed was for magic and technology to work together.

Diana was fascinated by the differences in this world. It seemed that the crossing of dimensions had altered the linguistic centre of the brain, meaning that she and her charge could read, write and speak the common tongue. Other changes were apparent: She could learn spells from scrolls in the same way that Imoen did. With Imoen’s help, Diana was soon able to cast a variety of ‘bread and butter’ spells – Magic Missile, Fireball, Identify, and so on. It was a lot easier and cleaner than the Earth method of time consuming complex rituals and messy ingredients.

Apart from language, she had yet to see any obvious changes to Faith: The girl still had, as she put it, "mad skillz" and the Watcher could see no obvious changes to her speed or strength or other readily measurable Slayer abilities, although, so far, they had had no contact with undead or demonic entities.

In the hours that followed, the group explored Irenicus’ dungeon, battling goblins and mephitis and salvaging a variety of equipment for future sale or immediate use. The evil wizard apparently thought nothing of stashing handy spell-scrolls and magical weapons all over the place. Faith shook her head in despair: If she was an evil wizard who kidnapped and tortured people, she certainly wouldn’t leave helpful things lying about to make escaping easier. He even kept other captives around the place who were eager to provide information or assistance. Had this guy never heard of the Evil Overlord List?

It was like being caught up in a B-movie on late night TV, but, mercifully, without the screaming female love interest.

The upshot of these helpful caches and the stripping dead enemies was that everyone had a missile weapon and plenty of ammunition, and Keisha and Jaheira had also gained enchanted weapons.

Eventually, the group came upon an area occupied by smiths that Keisha called ‘Duergar’. Imoen told them that Irenicus had them making weapons. As aggressive as the other creatures in the complex, the Duergar attacked as soon as they noticed their visitors. Imoen immediately cast a stinking cloud spell, which acted like knockout gas, while Diana threw a fireball. With three of the enemy already down, Minsc, Faith and Keisha began firing arrows and bolts as swiftly as possible. 

Very soon, the Duergar were dead and the toxic cloud slowly dissipated. Keisha and her friends began to strip the dead as was their habit, while Diana and Faith looked through the various boxes and chests that filled the corners of the room. An exclamation from Jaheira drew attention. The druid had found a handful of acorns on the body of the Duergar leader, an oddity that the adventurers found most interesting. They soon decided that the presence of the acorns was too curious to leave them behind – they would carry them with them and see if some other clues might indicate their purpose. 

Faith and Diana watched this with some confusion. Acorns were common enough so why the interest? Keisha explained that all the races of dwarves dwelt below ground and they had no interest in growing things, let alone oak trees. So the fact that a Duergar – a species wholly inclined towards evil – had them was particularly unusual. 

It was Minsc that spotted the next item of interest. The leader had been wearing an odd-looking armour made of chain and leather. Jaheira looked at it interestedly and declared that this was a minor artefact called the Mail of the Dead. At the others’ urging, she replaced her chainmail, abandoning the heavier metal.

Next came a door that could be opened by none of the methods available to the group. Diana smiled to herself as she watched each individual show the same frustrated curiosity. Adventurers, it seemed, really could not leave well enough alone. Show them a locked door and they'd spend days trying to open it just to see if there was something on the other side!

The corridor ended in another machine room. This device apparently generated some sort of imprisonment spell about a demon. As she had already noticed, adventurers really can't leave things be, and so Imoen worked the device to release the demon. Faith let out a battle cry and charged, her axes moving so swiftly that they left after-images in the air. Keisha and Minsc were not far behind, the thief taking care to position herself to make use of her skills in backstabbing: No need for her to be out front when the young Slayer was keeping the beast well occupied! As was the case with so many of the creatures in this 'dungeon', as the natives persisted in calling it, the demon had possessed a magical sword, which was now being wielded by Minsc.

The group came upon living quarters that were far better than those occupied by other denizens of the dungeon. Keisha advanced carefully into the room, soon finding several traps which she disarmed. Once the area was safe, she began to hunt through the contents, finding a helm, amulet and a strange carving. Jaheira identified the amulet as increasing spell casting ability – it was immediately handed off to Imoen – and the helm as being part of the Armour of Balduran, which Keisha donned. They had no idea of the use of the carving, so Minsc tucked it into his sack of salvaged goods. 

Moments later the mystery of the acorns was resolved: Irenicus had three dryads imprisoned in a magically-created grove and the acorns turned out to be the tie linking them to the world beyond. The dryads begged for help, which Keisha did not hesitate to offer. She would return the acorns to the dryad queen just as soon as she found out where the Windspear Hills actually were.

A beautifully appointed bedroom was next, with traps all over the floors and on almost every surface. Irenicus obviously didn’t want anyone messing about in here! As Keisha stepped across the threshold, an alarm rang, annoying the thief who hadn’t seen any sign of wards. Still, she did not hesitate to empty the room of its valuables and then the group hurried away, hoping to avoid whatever guards may have been summoned by the bell.

They were not so lucky. Two golems lumbered towards the group, clearly intent upon punishing them for their presumption in entering the room. Fortunately, the several magical weapons amongst the group were sufficient to bring down the brutes.

~ DB ~

The group returned to the library after that encounter, needing time to recuperate and to relearn the spells expended. The break gave Diana and Faith time to ask questions and learn more about of the world of Faerun. Keisha and her friends thought of themselves as heroes, whenever possible carefully choosing their adventures to better help the common folk. While other adventuring groups might pursue profit or an Evil course, Keisha and Minsc firmly believed that their role in the world was – to quote Minsc – “Butt kicking, for Goodness.” They had often turned down monetary rewards in favour of helping folk recover from the predations of monsters and other evils.

As a druid, Jaheira was less interested in Good than Balance. Seeing the sour looks that appeared on the faces of their new friends, Jaheira queried their revulsion. Diana explained about the Powers that governed Earth and the Balance Demons that did their will. 

The notion of demons serving what sounded like minor deities revolted the adventurers. In this world, demons were a terrible thing and nothing but evil could come of dealing with such treacherous creatures. 

All in all, the two groups were able to find plenty of common ground, and the easy acceptance offered by Keisha and her companions, and their openness about their own activities and abilities encouraged Diana and Faith to reveal the nature of the Slayer and their own relationship. Minsc was utterly horrified. “Little girls sent to fight Evil with a stick!” he shouted, outraged. Faith – who would rather die than admit that she found Minsc and Boo to be entirely adorable – grinned at him. “Wanna arm wrestle?”

Diana, though, agreed with Minsc. Since being assigned as Faith’s watcher, she had become increasingly disturbed by the idea that the Powers selected children to fight and die while they did nothing more than interfere – she had read the diaries of Mr Giles and had seen the effect of the Powers’ machinations to keep the Balance.

In that moment, Diana Pryce decided that, no matter what, she would not take her Faith back to Earth to die in the service of what might actually be demons playing games with the lives of mortals. Much better to stay in this world and let Faith have the freedom to make her own choices. After all, had she not learned, not long before Kakistos made his move, that Buffy Summers was, somehow, still alive and slaying on the Hellmouth? Earth had a protector; it could do without Faith.

Keisha then confided her own terrible origins – she was a Child of Bhaal, the dead god of Murder. Seeing that her new friends did not understand, she explained a bit of the background of the world, how the gods had died but, anticipating this, Bhaal had seeded the world with offspring through whom he might ascend to power once more. The thief was surprised to receive looks of compassion rather than fear. Indeed, Faith, possessed as she was by the Slayer spirit, experienced a shiver of fellow-feeling towards Keisha. As much as she revelled in the Slayer, the girl also knew that it was a monster that demanded death in payment for the gifts it granted.

The Slayer did not care who died, so long as it was fed in blood and death. It was only by a quirk of Chance that Faith had not killed humans in the days following her Calling. As it was, in the course of defending herself from the usual street scum, she had caused a great deal of bodily harm to one pimp, three gang-bangers, and one of her ‘uncles’ after her mom passed out from a cocktail of drugs and alcohol. She shuddered to think what would have happened had Diana not found her so quickly.

A thought occurred to Diana. “Jaheira, if the gods are dead, how is it that you call on Sylvanus for your spells?”

The druid frowned. “I do not know why priestly magics still work. All priests can cast spells once they are initiated, and we even know of one who has changed her allegiance to a different deity, and she is still granted power. It is one of those things that defies explanation.”

Diana nodded, mildly accepting the druid’s words. Privately, she wondered whether magic was an innate gift and it was only belief that changed the perception of capability. If a farmer’s child showed magical talent, would not the parents hand him over to the local priest for tuition, resulting in the child learning the way the priest himself had learned? Those with access to other teachers would learn wizardly or druidic magics. 

She dropped the tantalising mystery; she did not want to shake her new friend’s belief in her religious system. Instead, Diana turned her attention to the books surrounding them. Since she and Faith were staying in Faerun, they would need to know a great deal more about history, culture, and racial groups, supplementing the variously biased opinions of their friends. Faith watched her ‘mom’ for a while then rolled her eyes. “So, Minsc, about that arm wrestle…?”

Minsc was still expressing amazement at the strength contained a child’s body an hour later when the group finally discovered that the carved statue actually opened the hitherto locked door near the Duergar chamber.

Soon after, the group was the proud possessor of the Sword of Chaos – which had once belonged to Keisha’s brother and whom she had slain just a few months before – and Irenicus was down another handful of mephitis and a djinn. Minsc was wielding the heavy blade as he was most capable with two-handed weapons. The other sword, taken from the demon, was strapped to his back. When Faith queried this, Keisha had shrugged and said, "Magical weapons are worth quite a bit – it is worth carrying such things when we come upon them."

Pleased with their successes, and sure that this area held no more items of interest, the group made their way to a portal they had found near the dryads’ grove. A key found in the warded bedroom proved to activate the device, and the group stepped through.

The found themselves in a corridor blocked at one end by a wooden door, and containing a few crates and a man. The stranger introduced himself as Yoshimo, and said he was a prisoner trying to find his way out. To no-one’s surprise, Keisha immediately welcomed him to the group, and, after restocking Yoshimo with arrows, carefully opened the door. 

Beyond was a large room containing four magical constructs each of which appeared to create a different type of mephit. The group soon learned that these were primarily dangerous due to the numbers of mephitis created, and that the generators could be destroyed fairly easily.

That done, Keisha began her usual careful examination of the room, looting various useful items from the boxes and chests stacked about. Then she stumbled back, giving a choked cry of distress. As the others moved forward, Keisha pulled Jaheira into her arms, leading her forward to the remains of her husband, Khalid. Her worst fears confirmed, Jaheira began to weep. Keisha hugged her, rubbing her back, her eyes filled with rage. Minsc’s huge arms wrapped about the slender druid moments later, a rumbling growl of fury spilling from his normally smiling lips.

The others watched as long-term companions offered comfort to Jaheira. The druid’s grief was raw, something that they had not expected given that she seemed so tough and self-reliant. That strength of will became obvious as the woman visibly swallowed her grief and locked her emotions behind a cold mask. If they hadn’t seen the grief, it would have been easy to see her as cold, unloving.

As it was, a shiver ran down several spines as Jaheira vowed revenge upon the murderer of her husband, her promise echoed in deadly tones by the Child of Bhaal. Minsc’s words, no less determined, were almost a comic counterpoint were it not for the simple fact that no-one doubted that his word, like Keisha’s, was his bond.

Jaheira’s grief made her careless, but she survived through the efforts of her friends. Keisha and Minsc guarded her flanks. Imoen, Diana and Yoshimo had her back, and Faith moved ahead of the group, her Slayer gifts giving her an advantage over the creatures that they faced. This was never more apparent than the moment that they entered a room and found a vampire battling a group of humans. 

As soon as the monster registered on her senses, the Slayer charged forward, scattering the humans. The vampire had no idea of the nature of this new opponent and attempted to enthral the girl. Faith laughed and kicked the creature in the face, breaking teeth and jaw. The vampire shrieked in fury and lunged forward – straight into a devastating punch that drove it backwards. Now the other fighters came into play, their enchanted weapons bringing the monster down and breaking its physical form. 

Faith stared in surprise as a distinct ball of gas floated away from the vampire’s body. Jaheira slashed at it with her staff but the weapon seemed to have no effect. Keisha shrugged at the girl’s confused look. “If we knew where the coffin was, we could stake the body and destroy it, but I doubt it's anywhere nearby. They usually nest in graveyards.”

Minsc was amazed. “You punched it!” he exclaimed, a delighted grin spreading across his face. “How did a mere punch cause it harm?”

Faith returned his smile. “I’m the Vampire Slayer. It's what I do.” Behind the group, Diana heard the girl’s words and smiled sadly. From the outset, Faith had eagerly accepted her empowerment, seeing it as the universe repaying all the horrible things she had suffered up to that point.

A series of traps were disabled, each yielding a magical wand. A doppelganger was defeated, and the group fought what appeared to be assassins as they finally exited the vast dungeon. The assassins fell quickly beneath the fireballs cast by Imoen and Diana, and the group emerged into what appeared to be a sewer system.

“Why did they attack us?” Faith asked, confused. “We never did anything to them, did we?”

Yoshimo spoke up at that point. “From their words, I surmise that these were of the Shadow Thieves, the name of the thieves' guild in Athkatla. They appeared to have a problem with Irenicus, and assumed us to be allies of his.”

Diana immediately began to interrogate the Oriental man regarding the factions and guilds while Keisha and Jaheira discussed the possibility that they had been brought so far from Baldur’s Gate. Minsc and Faith sighed, both crossing their arms and leaning against the wall while they waited for the ‘intellectuals’ to get a move on. Seeing the similarity of their actions, both began to laugh, which broke up the debates quickly.

Very soon, the group emerged from the sewers – only to be confronted by Irenicus himself. The mage monologued, saying that he had been trying to ‘help’ Keisha come into her heritage. Diana raised an eyebrow at the implication that Imoen, too, had power that could be unleashed, although the others seem to miss that point.

Imoen was clearly terrified, and cast her last offensive spell at the mage. He brushed it off, but before he could do more, several robed wizards appeared out of nowhere. In moments, despite the deaths of several of their number, the new group had arrested both Irenicus and Imoen and transported them away, leaving the rest of the group gaping in shocked surprise at the speed of the capture.

~ DB ~

“Twenty thousand!!” Keisha screeched, causing Faith to wince. The shrill note could only have been heard by dogs, or a Slayer with sensitive hearing.

“Twenty thousand!” Keisha shouted again, although, mercifully, without the pain-inducing pitch.

The group had been approached by an odd little man, rotund and strange in his speech. He had recognised Keisha and told her that his employers would, for a fee, be able to bring her to where Imoen was being held. 

Despite the immense sum demanded, Keisha had no choice: The town watch, priests representing two different gods, and any number of traders and random passers-by had all confirmed that no-one knew where the Cowled Wizards held their prisoners. One man had stated that the Council who ruled the city had no interest in the knowledge – they had allowed the Cowled Wizards to set up their prison and to act as they saw fit without any oversight, and now wanted nothing more than to forget about it.

Keisha struggled to hold on to her temper. It was no fault of Gaelan Bayle’s that her friend had been kidnapped. She also could not really blame him for the huge sum that his masters demanded for their knowledge. If she wanted to retrieve Imoen, she would have to find a way to raise the money.

Decision made, she nodded abruptly. “Very well, Gaelan Bayle. Tell your masters that I accept their offer. I will return once I have the coin and am prepared to deal with whatever challenges this apparently invisible prison may throw at me”.

The woman began to turn away, when a hand on her arm stopped her. She glanced at Faith, raising an eyebrow in query. The young girl stared back for a long moment. “There’s someone upstairs. I thought this was meant to be a private meeting.”

Keisha turned back to Bayle. The small man shrugged. “’Tis only one of my contacts. He does certain business, sells certain wares and pays me rent for the room.”

Keisha considered the vast quantity of miscellaneous items that the group had carried out of Irenicus’ dungeon and shrugged. “Well then, I think I’ll go have a look at what he’s got on offer.” She knew that a man trading from an unobvious location must surely be selling stolen goods but that didn't trouble her conscience: She was a thief after all, and sometimes such men had true treasures amongst their stock.

This proved to be the case today. By the time the group left the house of Gaelan Bayle they were significantly lighter, and had spent some of the coin gained on useful items – a scroll case and jewel pouch which each held many of the appropriate type of item in a pocket dimension, and a strange object which only Faith and Diana recognised as sunglasses, and which apparently allowed a mage to use the Identify spell a few times a day without tasking their natural capacity. 

Pleased with the trade, the group made their way to a nearby tavern, the Copper Coronet. Bayle had mentioned that a girl had been there for a couple of days trying to hire adventurers for some task or other. 

Diana watched the shadows as the group walked. The Slums district was dirty, smelly, and crowded. Children played in the filth, their eyes wary and their bodies held ready to flee. Hostile, hungry predators lurked in every shadow, just waiting for a chance to pounce on those weaker than they. The Watcher shivered: The shadowy watchers might be human – or humanoid – but they were no less dangerous than the demons and vampires that sought unwary prey in Boston.

The Copper Coronet was a large building in the centre of the district. Inside it was overly hot and rancid with the stink of sweaty bodies and stale beer. Two large open fire-pits occupied the centre of the room, each sporting two large spits each bearing a pig roasting slowly, their fat dripping into the fires, adding to the overwhelming smell.

The group made their way to the long bar where a fat, greasy man served pints of ale in dirty mugs. Jaheira leaned across to Keisha. “I know him. Bertrand. He sells information to the Harpers sometimes.”

The tavern was very busy. For lack of any empty tables, the group gathered near the bottom of a flight of stairs, warily sipping their mugs of ale. Faith looked about in interest. The customers were a strange mixture. The tavern was a dive in a very bad area, yet dotted amongst the mostly-human wreckage were brightly clad nobles, each with a bodyguard or two for protection. In one corner, a handsome man in plate armour watched the crowd with a sneer on his well bred face, while a young woman with a high class accent and no guard at all begged the patrons for aid “... I’ve helped all of you,” she said to one group, who, to a man, turned their backs at her approach.

Whores plied their trade, leading their customers upstairs once terms were agreed. Other patrons handed coin to a well-dressed man near the bar and entered a door off the main hall. Dog fights were taking place on a raised area near the fire-pits and several men were taking bets. 

A roar of sound came to her ears, muffled by walls, the distinctive stink of blood and death added its taint to the cacophony of smells. Faith swayed, felt a strong arm wrap about her waist, concerned voices asking if she was well. Dark eyes fell closed, flicked open, and the girl was gone. The Slayer looked out across the room, and all about her, her friends stepped back as they felt the power brush over them. 

Diana touched her daughter’s arm, knowing that something had awoken the Slayer. For a moment, the Slayer stilled, responding to the touch. Reacting to instinct, Keisha crossed over to Lehntian. 

“I hear that entertainment is available here.”

“Aye, lass it is. I have both boys and girls who’ll serve your pleasure, if that’s your whim. Otherwise there is dice, the dogs, or the room of dreams.”

“That's it?”

The man stared at the woman, a calculating look in his eyes. Then, “For 50 gold you can have access to my back rooms and any of the entertainments that take your fancy.”

Keisha nodded, handed over the gold without question. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Faith, her manner that of a questing bloodhound. The young girl was standing now, scenting the air, and Keisha only wanted to clear the path to whatever it was that had awoken the Slayer-within.

Faith began to move, drifting through the crowd as though they were water, patrons scattering from the Presence that had so suddenly come among them. Keisha touched her arm. The girl’s head snapped round, a snarl twisting her mouth. Keisha spoke quickly, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the Slayer’s fury. “Whatever’s happening is in the back rooms.”

The Slayer paused, considered, nodded assent, and followed the woman who offered aid. Behind, confused and concerned, came the others.

The guard on the door caught his boss’ signal as the two girls came up to him and he swung the door back without question. He watched with amazement as the women flowed past him, the youngster sniffing the air like an animal or something. He was so distracted by them he didn’t see the large group that followed them into the back rooms until they were past him.

Without hesitation, the Slayer shoved open the door that led to the arena viewing platform. Several nobles and wealthy merchants stood watching and cheering the carnage below as trolls tore a man to pieces. 

A blur of movement, and the Slayer leaped the guard-rail, landing gracefully right in front of a troll. The confused creature had no chance to react to the sudden shower of food. The Slayer lashed out, fists and feet pulverising the beast until it fell before her. Covered in blood, she moved on to the next second troll.

Above, the group stared in utter amazement at what a fully active Slayer could do without a weapon. Then Keisha was moving, urging them all back down the stairs and along the corridor that led to the gladiators’ entrance to the arena. Briefly, they were delayed by the guards but these fell quickly enough. 

By the time they broke through to the arena, they could hear the panicked screams of the patrons. The Slayer was taking her frustrations out on the first troll, which had already regenerated much of the damage she had done initially. Minsc looked at Diana. “Fire or acid kills them. Otherwise they’ll keep getting up.”

The older woman nodded and unleashed an acid spell on the troll that was still down. As the other beast crashed to the arena floor for the second time, she cast again. The Slayer snarled, looking up at the group through blood-drenched hair. With the threat gone, the feral light began to die away, and soon Faith was back in control. The girl stood, stretched, then grimaced at the blood and gore that coated her skin. “Ugh! What the hell are these things?”

Minsc grinned at the girl. “They are trolls, Faith, and you are truly wonderful! Never have I seen trolls subdued so swiftly!”

A wide smile graced the girl's pretty face; she was delighted with the praise from a man she respected. 

Keisha sighed. "Well, I suppose we'd better deal with this establishment properly: After all, Lehntian isn't going to be exactly happy that we've killed his guards and two of his pets. Plus, he's got slaves in cages back there. They said the key-holder is in this area somewhere."

The group spread out, quickly discovering the animal pens and the beast-master. Rather regretfully, they slew the spotted cats and other beasts before recovering the key from the beast-master's corpse and returning to free the slaves. 

It was swift and bloody work to finish off the tavern's guards and slavers. The group watched as Hendak, the leader of the slaves, slaughtered Lehntian.

With the bloodshed done with, Hendak decided to take over the tavern in recompense for the ills he had suffered. Gold was distributed to the surviving slaves to enable them to return to their homes, and he ordered Bertrand to open up the equipment chests to the group, allowing them to purchase whatever they wished at discount prices.

He asked only one thing: That they seek out the slavers' base within the city and remove its blight. Keisha was happy to agree to the proposition, knowing that her companions shared her loathing of slavery.

The group dipped happily into Bertrand's best supplies and emerged with several useful items: A throwing axe called Azuredge for Faith – who was ecstatic to learn of its undead-slaying properties, better armour for Jaheira and Minsc, and a nice axe named Stonefire for Keisha. A selection of spell scrolls enhanced Diana's capabilities, and a few healing potions topped off their purchases.

Bertrand confided that he knew that the slavers had a secret passage to their base from somewhere within the tavern, but he did not know its whereabouts. The adventurers shared bloodthirsty grins: This was going to be fun!


End file.
